Show i A ro road d by any other name is not so good f- f if AtIf 1 C d 4 t. t s e 1 i I The Baltimore Sun photo Doug Kapustin William P. P Rounds owns land on a road in Montgomery County Md that a state agency says is not a public roadway so he and others cannot build on the land James Drew The Baltimore Sun For decades the road was a lifeline for a black enclave in Sandy Spring Residents walked on it to get groceries at the country store They drove on it to gather firewood They cleared snow offit off offit it and made sure water drained The unpaved Farm Road as asit asit asit it has always been called is still there a remnant of a long- long gone rural life in this eastern corner comer of Montgomery County But a government agency has now determined that legally speaking the road never existed And for about 20 people who live or own land along it that's a big j problem Without official 1 acknowledgment that Farm R Road d connects to a nearby public road they cant can't get addresses for their parcels Without addresses they cant can't get permits to build on their land They accuse the agency the National Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission of rendering their land useless Michele Awkard wants to build on a small p parcel behind the house where her father lives She's been living with her sister next door I want my own place for me and my children said Awkard 35 But she said the agency told Road Continued on A 7 I II II I I No Road to tot t build on Continued from At Al Alt t k her Mier her she could not build f one lone c Awkard said she had learned that Farm Road was included in the chain of title of every property along its path and that the deeds describe it as a boundary line or right of I. I way Her position is that its it's r a private road that should be recognized as an easement giving the right to make limited use of neighbors' neighbors J property so she and her neighbors can drive on it to toa tora ra a a public road I r. But Rose Krasnow chief of the development li preview review division of Park t hand tand and Planning said property Downers owners along the path didn't have an easement t- t tand and thus no access to a public road E There is no indication that the farm road was anything other than that k t- t Ir- Ir a farm fann road Krasnow said sald It was completely b controlled by the property I know of owners o involved v 1 ih 9 no easement casement on it Valerie Berton an agency spokeswoman said in a written statement We have nothing that says the general public ever benefited from the farm road so this is more like a private driveway Everyone should understand what chaos would result if every private farm road from years ago is somehow transformed into a public roadway Property owners have filed two lawsuits against Park and Planning seeking access to a nearby public road from Farm Road The agency prevailed in one which is being appealed a second lawsuit filed re-filed last September is pending Residents say they have appealed for help unsuccessfully to state legislators and members of the Montgomery County Council Robert Awkard a cousin of Micheles Michele's who was born in 1922 says ownership of his land can be traced to freed slaves He said that when his parents moved to Philadelphia he decided to remain in Sandy Spring where his grandparents raised him He said he and hi his relatives helped maintain Farm Road patching holes and cutting shrubbery Now he wants to sell his three acres or give the land to his grandchildren This land is no good to me the way it is now 1 I dont don't see why I have to pay taxes on something that I 1 cant can't use said Awkard a a retired landscaper The and William P. P Rounds arc are getting help in their battle against Park and Planning from Steve Kanstoroom a retired businessman who has clashed with the agency over other issues Kanstoroom said he found Farm Road on an 1895 survey a 1966 tax map a Park and Planning topographic map and the agency's address book He also said Park and Planning had approved at least three addresses for parcels along Farm Road most recently in 2002 On a recent nt afternoon Rounds walked from his vacant parcel down the hill h ll to a section of Farm Road y r It resembles a trail today There used to be more houses along Farm Road Rounds said Some burned Others were demolished A vehicle probably hasn't been driven the entire I length since the he said Sections are heavily wooded Rounds removed a few branches in the roads road's path He pointed to an old driveway still visible and then walked slowly along alonga a foot section that he had repaired with gravel two years ago A Gaithersburg resident Rounds said he wasn't w asking Montgomery County to turn Farm Road from a private road into a public one He said he and other property owners would maintain it Rounds said he only wanted Park and Planning to recognize Farm Road so he could sell his land He said he was in danger of losing his most valuable asset They are taking advantage of me because I dont don't have the power They have the power I dont don't he be said k 1 |